Malicious Code Injection in Criminal Canid Z3N Package
Summary
MAL-2025-93847: Malicious code in criminal_canid_z3n (npm). Affected versions are not published. No fix is published. How to fix ↓
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Background
The 'criminal_canid_z3n' package is part of the npm ecosystem and appears to be associated with the tea.xyz token reward campaign. This package is designed to facilitate the automatic generation and publication of derivative packages, which can inflate developer reputation scores for token rewards. However, it has been identified as containing malicious code that compromises its integrity.
Vulnerability Detail
The vulnerability originates from the package's design, which includes autopublish scripts that modify the package.json file to remove private flags and change version numbers. It generates random package names and continuously republishes variants, leading to pollution of the npm registry. This malicious behavior can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, reputation damage for developers, and potential exploitation of affected systems.
How To Fix
This package is malicious. Remove it and rotate any credentials it could have accessed.
npm uninstall criminal_canid_z3nIf it arrived as a transitive dependency, remove the package that pulled it in, then reinstall.
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Workaround
As a temporary workaround, you can prevent the package from being used in your project by removing it from your package.json file and ensuring that it is not installed in your node_modules directory. Additionally, consider using Vulert to monitor your project for any open-source vulnerabilities. You can check if your application is affected by this vulnerability using the Vulert playground at https://vulert.com/scanner without any signup.
Conclusion
The 'criminal_canid_z3n' package poses a significant risk due to its malicious code that alters package configurations and repopulates the npm registry with harmful variants. Immediate action is required to remove this package and safeguard your application from potential exploitation.
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FAQ
It is an npm package associated with a token reward campaign that has been identified to contain malicious code.
The vulnerability can lead to unauthorized modifications of your package.json file, potentially compromising your application's integrity and security.
You should uninstall the package immediately and monitor your project for any further vulnerabilities.
Yes, you can use Vulert, which monitors and alerts for open-source vulnerabilities in real-time using just your package-lock.json.
Yes, you can use the Vulert playground at Vulert Scanner to check if your application is affected by this vulnerability without any signup.
